MEC Lesufi not doing enough to address racism in GP schools

The DA calls on the Gauteng Department of Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi to act as a matter of urgency to address racism in Gauteng schools.

There have been numerous incidents of racism reported in schools across the province yet the Department has failed to effectively address this in any meaningful way.

These racism allegations have resulted in the disruption of teaching and learning since the beginning of the 2018 academic year.

In Overvaal High School in Vereeniging, different stakeholders embarked on violent protests after the school refused an instruction by the Department to accept 55 English-speaking pupils into the Afrikaans-medium school. The school said it had no capacity to admit the learners and its decision was backed by the High Court.

The inept handling of the matter resulted in disruption of schooling and a situation which posed a safety risk for both teachers and learners.

In Noordgesig Primary School in Soweto, parents and the community have been up in arms over the appointment of a black principal. The parents reacted by shutting down the school which severely impacted on teaching and learning.

The same occurred at Klipspruitwest secondary and Eldorado Park Secondary School where there are racial tensions amongst teachers.

In a recent incident, a 17 year-old black girl learner at Carletonville Hoërskool‚ in West Rand claims that she was assaulted by a white boy in class.

There are serious allegations of racism in this school and some former learners claim that white learners are treated differently from the black learners.

The DA strongly condemns racism in schools and appeals to all teachers to treat learners equally and not to discriminate based on the colour of their skin.

It is high time that MEC Lesufi must walk his talk of being pro non-racialism. He must stand firm in his interventions and implement stringent rules against racism in our schools.

Racism has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated. Those who are perpetrating racism in our schools must be disciplined and face the course of the law.

The DA will continue to put pressure on MEC Lesufi to ensure that racism is addressed in our schools. We will also follow up on all these cases to ensure that the victims get the justice they deserve and that the perpetrators are punished for their actions.

Statement issued by Khume Ramulifho MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 25 February 2018